'Planning for what comes next:' 3 decades of BMO Harris Bradley Center memorabilia to be sold at auction

MILWAUKEE -- You just don't realize how much stuff you have until you move. That is the feeling inside the BMO Harris Bradley Center as arena officials figure out what to do with everything inside the building before it closes. Workers performed a bit of a deep clean in the lower bowl on Tuesday, March 13 at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. It may be the 30th and final year for the granite and glass structure at 4th and State, but there are still Milwaukee Bucks games to host and the final concert is scheduled for April 29 with Bon Jovi returning one last time.

BMO Harris Bradley Center memorabilia

BMO Harris Bradley Center memorabilia

"At the same time, we're planning for what comes next," said Bradley Center CEO Steve Costello. Costello said that includes deciding what to do with three decades' worth of memorabilia. "There's been a lot of interest by the public," Costello said. "We've gotten calls and continue to get calls from people reaching out to us saying, 'what are you gonna do with that signed guitar?' 'What are you gonna do with that autographed picture from that artist?'"

BMO Harris Bradley Center memorabilia

Costello said the Bradley Center has an agreement with local auction business, Great Lakes Auction Co. "We're still working through the details, but we do expect to have at least one significant auction that would include most or all of our memorabilia," Costello said.

BMO Harris Bradley Center memorabilia

Costello said that auction would likely occur between late May and the end of June. As for some of the items you cannot fit into your collection, Costello said he is working to find a new home for the technical equipment including the scoreboard, which New Berlin-based "Exciting Events" confirms it will buy and then break down before selling and donating different sections of it. Todd Scheel, owner of Exciting Events, said the four main display screen on the center-hung scoreboard could be remade into six smaller 16 x 9 displays. Scheel said he planned to donate at least some of the displays to a church, adding the screens could find new homes in churches, schools, or businesses across southeast Wisconsin. Until the time comes to disassemble the arena, Costello said the main focus will be preparing for upcoming events.

BMO Harris Bradley Center memorabilia

"Each one of those events and all the fans attending are gonna have a really special, unique experience to remember the center by," Costello said. The Bradley Center is scheduled to officially close in late July after hosting the annual Northwestern Mutual meeting. After the arena closes, the Bucks will assume control of the property and are responsible for the building's eventual demolition. A Bucks spokesman said the team had no comment Tuesday.

BMO Harris Bradley Center